


Song Challenge: My list

by Windfighter



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 17:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15199925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windfighter/pseuds/Windfighter
Summary: Lalli's to do-list is full of important stuff, but are they really that important?





	Song Challenge: My list

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [My List](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/396314) by Toby Keith. 



> So I was supposed to work on my NaNo-novel but apparently listening to country-music is dangerous because I got inspired to this story. It didn't turn out quite like I had planned, but meh.

Breakfast was ready when Lalli woke up. He ate it quickly, put on his clothes and grabbed a list from his desk. He looked through it while pulling his fingers through his hair to get in under controll.

1) Work  
2) Grocery Shopping  
3) Go to the bank  
4) Hardware store  
5) Fix the broken door  
6) Cut the grass  
7) Repair the fence  
8) Check the mouse traps  
9) Chairs to the attic

He looked out the window over their backyard. Their daughter was on the swing, Emil was pushing her and she was laughing. Lalli looked away again. He put the list in his pocket, put on his shoes and left without saying goodbye.

Work was tedious and he counted the minutes until he would get out. Finally done and he stopped by the bank to pay bills before he went to the grocery store. Milk, bread, cheese, pasta, some vegetables. He stopped by the hardware store and bought some nails before heading back home. He put the groceries on the table. Emil wasn't home yet and he fixed the broken door.

10) Tell Stig to be more careful

With the door done he went back to the kitchen. The groceries had been put away while he had been working and he took a glass, drank some water and put the glass on the stove. He crossed off the finished things on his list, then went outside to cut the grass. Emil embraced him from behind and kissed his neck.

”Love you. We're heading to the playground.”

”Mm.”

Emil left, Stig and Tuuri holding his hands. Lalli took out the lawn mower and cut the grass. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, fetched the nails and some plankes and started work on the fence. Stig and Tuuri came back from the playground, played on the swings again. Emil came outside as Lalli finished the fence. Dinner and Lalli ate it quickly, left the plate and cutlery on the porch and went to check the mousetraps. They had caught two mice and Lalli put the traps on the table for Emil to take care of the mice.

The chairs were waiting for him in the hallway and he carried them to the attic. He noticed sun shining through a hole in the roof and added fixing that to his list as well. He went outside, Stig, Emil and Tuuri were playing tag and he grabbed Stig, pulled him to the side.

”You need to be more careful when you open the doors. Next time you can fix it yourself.”

”Lalli!” Emil called. ”He's just a kid!”

”Mf.”

Lalli left again, went back to the attic to fix the ceiling. He'd have to fix the roof tomorrow. There was a tiny window in the attic and he went to it, watched as the sun set and Emil shoved the kids inside.

”Come say good night, Lalli!”

Lalli put the hammer in his backpocket and left the attic. Stig and Tuuri hugged him before running into their rooms. Lalli sank down next to the desk and threw the day's list in the paper bin while grabbing an empty sheet. Emil kissed him on the cheek, wished him a good night and told him to not stay up too late. Lalli nodded, started writing his to do-list and put it under the brass paperweight that adorned his desk.

 

Clean clothes were folded neatly on his chair when he woke up. Emil was already gone. He got dressed, ate breakfast. Went to work. Struggled through the day, then went to the hardware store again. They needed screws and roof tiles. Dinner was done when he got home. Emil's hand squeezed his shoulder and fixed his clothes. Lalli ate quickly, took the ladder from the attic and went outside, climbed to the roof and fixed the hole. He watched Siv arrive and leave again with the kids. The hole got done and he climbed back down, left the ladder outdoors. Emil was doing the dishes when he came inside and he stopped for a second. Were Emil's shoulders shaking? He walked away, out to the backyard. Hands to his side while looking around. The grass didn't need to be cut, the fence was fixed. He stepped over the porch, felt one of the planks bend slightly beneath him.

_Better fix it before it breaks._

A surprised scream cut through the house and Lalli rushed back inside. Emil was dripping wet, his head under the sink.

”Bloody pipes, I need to fix those tomorrow...”

Emil let out a sigh and came out from under the sink again. He noticed Lalli and smiled.

”Hey. I didn't scare you, did I?”

Lalli shook his head.

”Planks are in the basement, right?” he asked.

”I haven't moved them.”

Lalli nodded and left the still dripping Emil. He found a plank the right size and went back up. He got a wet hug from Emil as he passed by the dining room.

”I love you, Lalli.”

”Mm.”

Emil released him and he went outside, fixed the porch. Removed slugs from the flower beds. The hammer and nails had disappeared when he returned to the porch. He ignored it, went inside and sank down by his desk. The finished list got thrown into the paper bin and he started writing a new one. He heard Tuuri and Stig coming back home, listened as Emil put them to bed. Emil entered the room, pulled his fingers through Lalli's hair and kissed his cheek.

”Thanks for fixing the roof. Don't stay up too late.”

Emil went to bed and Lalli finished the to do-list before going to bed himself.

 

Emil had left the bedroom when Lalli woke up. The smell of pancakes reached him from the kitchen and he got out of the bed. He lifted the paperweight he stored his to do-list under, studied it. It had been a gift from Emil, when they first moved in together. It was shaped like a horse. He grabbed the paper, put the weight down again.

1) Fix the pipes  
2) Go to the bank  
3) Oil the swing  
4) Varnish the seesaw

He could hear Tuuri and Stig in the living room.

5) Take the extra table from the attic  
6) Fix the extra table  
7) Check if the marquee is still in the basement  
8) Get a new marquee if the old one is broken

He put on the clean clothes Emil had put on his chair sometime during the morning. As he was leaving the room he almost slipped on a piece of paper. He recognized Emil's neat handwriting. He went down the stairs while reading it, dropped his own paper. Tears were gathering in his eyes as he read all the things Emil did for him and their kids that he never took notice of and he dried them away. He looked out the kitchen window, over the backyard. Emil was sitting on the porch, face hidden in his hands. His shoulders were definately shaking. Lalli clutched Emil's to do-list in his hand, opened the backyard door and closed it behind him. Emil didn't look up. Lalli dropped to his knees behind Emil, dropped the paper and wrapped his arms around Emil. Kissed his cheek.

”I love you too...”

Emil lifted his hand, buried his fingers in Lalli's hair.

”I know.”

”No, you don't. I'm sorry.”

Emil wiggled free from Lalli's grip, dried his eyes and turned around. He rested his forehead against Lalli's, wrapped his arms around him. Lalli wrapped his arms around Emil again, pulled him close and placed another kiss on his cheek.

”I love you, I really do.”

”I love you too.”

Emil tightened his grip, released it. Lalli let go of Emil, looked at him. Looked at his knees. Glanced at the paper still by his side. Emil noticed it, took it and put it in his pocket.

”You always get to the heavy stuff before I can”, Emil said. ”That's how I know. But I can help, you know.”

Lalli wanted to defend himself, but Emil put a finger to his lips.

”I know why you don't let me. I know it's because you care. That it's because that time I fell down the ladder to the attic.”

Lalli looked away, looked at Emil again. Grabbed the list from Emil's pocket.

”I won't break”, Emil said.

Lalli started tearing the list into pieces. Emil didn't say anything.

”I love you”, Lalli muttered.

He needed to make up for everything, for the way he had ignored Emil lately, the way he had ignored Tuuri and Stig. The way he had ignored everyone. He gathered the pieces, got to his feet and offered Emil his hand. Emil took it, got up as well. Lalli led him inside, upstairs. Grabbed his own list and tore it to pieces as well before throwing the pieces into the paper bin. Emil looked at him as he grabbed a new paper.

”The dishes can wait”, Lalli whispered. ”The pipes, the laundry. Preparations for the midsummer party can wait.”

He put a pen to the paper and wrote two words on it.

_**1) Start living** _

”Let's take Tuuri and Stig for a walk in the forest, play some catch together, all four of us. We can go to the river and I can teach you all how to catch fish. Play on the swingset.”

He got up, wrapped his arms around Emil's neck, kissed him.

”Help me to start living. Help me make time for that.”

Emil's arms around Lalli, a tight hug.

”If you let me help with the things that take your time.”

”I will.”

Lalli let go of Emil, put the new list under his paperweight. Emil took his hand, squeezed it. They went to the living room together and Stig and Tuuri rushed to them when they got inside, hugged them. Stig climbed onto Lalli's back and Lalli almost lost his balance, laughed.

”What's on the to do-list today, dad?”

Lalli smiled, looked at Emil.

”Start living, that's the next thing on my list.”

**Author's Note:**

> And then they lived happily ever after!
> 
> Or at least until next time Emil fell of a ladder and broke something.


End file.
